Arguing With Myself
by Aedien
Summary: As the dynamics of Team 7 change and they grow up Naruto and Sakura begin to realize that their relationship is changing too. They just aren't sure what it's turning into.
1. Twirling Cherry Blossoms

AN: I've had this one for a couple of weeks now, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to post it or not. It's in a different style than I normally use, but hey, that's what made it fun. With Sauske out of the picture (for the moment, hang in there all you Sauske fans!) I think she's able to really see Naruto, and as of Shippuuden I feel like she's unsure exactly how she feels about him. Let me know what you think, I think I need another perspective. Be warned though: It's kind of fluffy...

Sakura sighed as she flopped down on her bed, "What a day..."

She rolled over on her side so she was facing the mirror that hung on the wall across from her bed.

She sighed again, "It's not so bad is it?"

She ran a thoughtful hand along the curve of her torso and over her rounded hip, "I'm pretty curvy."

**Except where it counts.**

Sakura frowned, "I'm still more womanly than I ever was!"

**He didn't think so.**

She snorted, "Or he didn't notice."

**He always notices.**

Sakura ground her teeth together in frustration, "He meant to be nice."

**He said what he thought you wanted to hear.**

The pink-haired Kunoichi rolled onto her back, "He didn't have to say anything!"

**Yes he did; you were fishing for compliments.**

"Not from him!"

**Only from him.**

Sakura sat up, "No, it's not the same..."

**...as Sasuke-kun.**

Sakura shut her eyes, trying to block out her inner voice, "He's not the same..."

**Right. He's better.**

Sakura's eyes went wide, "Where did that come from?"

**He's kind to you.**

"He's kind to everyone."

**He protects you.**

"He protects all of us."

**He encourages you**.

Sakura shook her head trying to break out of the cycle of thoughts, "He encourages everyone!"

**He takes care of you.**

Sakura walked to the mirror and began to smooth out her hair, "So? How am I supposed to know that I'm special to him?"

**Listen.**

Her hands stopped.

**Just listen to him. He tells you every day.**

She sighed, "He is handsome."

**As handsome as Sasuke-kun.**

Sakura went back to fixing her hair, "I still love Sasuke-kun."

**...do you?**

Sakura threw down her brush, went to her closet and began pulling out some clean clothes, "Yes...I-I do."

**You never got dressed up for him.**

Sakura frowned as she shrugged out of her dirty work clothes, "I'm not dressing up for anyone! My clothes are dirty, I need to change!"

**You know he'll be here soon.**

Sakura slipped into her pink silk blouse; she shook her head, refusing to understand the train of thought, "I'm not expecting anyone."

**You don't have to; but he comes every night.**

She pulled on her black skirt, carefully tucking away a few kunai; the majority of her weapons she left on her dresser.

**You feel safe with him.**

Sakura sat on her bed once more, pulling on her sandals, "I don't ask him to come."

**You'd be lonely if he didn't.**

She smiled softly as she thought of her teammate, "Yeah, I would."

She looked up at the sound of someone knocking on her window.

**He's here. **

Sakura stood and pulled the curtains away from the window; she couldn't help but smile. Naruto was waiting patiently, crouched in the tree beside her window. As soon as she had opened the curtains he had smiled at her in that foxy way of his, and waved happily.

She smiled and opened her window; already knowing what he was going to say, and already knowing what her answer would be.

After all it was the same every night.

_But I still have to make him work for it._

**Of course. **

"Hi Naruto, come on in."

She moved away from the window, as he swung out of the tree and sat on her windowsill, "Hi Sakura-chan! How was your day?"

She turned away from him to hide her smile and went back to fixing her neglected hair, "Busy as usual, but nothing too exciting. What did you do today?"

She could practically hear him grin, "I had a mission with Neji this morning, then training with Fuzzy-eyebrows and his sensei."

She looked at him over her shoulder, "Not with Kakashi-sensei?"

He shrugged, "He's still on a solo mission. So Guy-sensei invited me to train with them."

She smiled and turned away from him once more, "That's sounds nice. The three of you get along so well."

**Similar energy and, uh,...enthusiasm... **

_Tell me about it._

She re-tied her hitai-ate on the top of her head, then grabbed a silver bracelet off of her dresser. Sakura turned and walked back to her window where Naruto was still seated.

She handed the bracelet to him and held out one hand to him. He obediently took the jewelry and fastened it around her slender wrist. She smiled at him, making his eyes sparkle with pleasure.

"Thanks Naruto."

He grinned, "Hey, hey Sakura-chan!! Go on a date with me!"

She turned away, pretending to be offended.

**He always asks like that. **

"Come on Sakura-chan! Please?" His words were pleading, but his voice didn't fool her, they both knew this game far too well.

She shifted her weight to one hip, pretending to think about it.

**You both know what the answer is.**

She turned back to the blond, smiling, "Sure Naruto."

Naruto grinned, "Yes! Awesome! Lets go Sakura-chan!"

She laughed at his antics, "Where do you plan to take me?"

He paused, looking thoughtful for a moment, "I know! How about that tea and dango place that Shikamaru showed me? They have good onigiri too!"

**Huh, that's different.**

Sakura tilted her head at him, "No ramen?"

Naruto seemed surprised, "I thought you might be sick of it by now." He shrugged, "I'll take you wherever you want."

**He's so sweet.**

She put her hand on his shoulder, "No, dango sounds great."

**Ramen goes straight to my thighs.**

_If only we could send it to other areas..._

His confusion faded and his smile returned full force, "Alright! You'll like it, it's a really nice place!"

He leaned back and let himself fall out of her window. Sakura watched as he grabbed the tree with one hand and swung to the ground.

She closed the window, drawing the curtains closed once more. Less than a minute later she was locking her front door, then walking around to the side of her house where he was waiting. Sakura turned the corner and her breath caught in her throat.

He was leaning against the tree with his eyes closed and his arms crossed over his muscular chest; silhouetted by the light of the setting sun. As he breathed his body would shift, causing his golden hair to shimmer and sparkle in the fading light. He turned to her; opening his eyes, revealing cerulean irises that shone with affection.

**Way better than Sasuke-kun.**

_...who?_

Naruto smiled, completely oblivious to her reaction, "Ready?"

The sound of his voice snapped her back to reality, "Ah—yeah." She smiled at him.

She fell into step by his side as he led her into the street. He smiled down at her, "You look beautiful tonight Sakura-chan."

She laughed and punched his arm playfully, "You say that every time you see me!"

He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, "That's because you're always beautiful!"

A light blush appeared on her face.

**He always tells you that.**

_Shut up!_

**And you always blush.**

Sakura frowned in thought, "Naruto," he looked down at her, "Why do you come ask me out every night?" she looked up into his expressive blue eyes, "You come even when you're exhausted. Is it because you're worried about me being lonely?"

He stared at her for a moment, apparently unsure of how to answer her. He smiled in an odd way, then turned away from her. "Do...do you want me to not come any more?"

Sakura could only stare at his back; he had spoken so quietly that she wasn't sure she had heard him correctly until she saw him shudder. The tone in his voice was so dejected, but somehow he sounded resigned, like he had expected the worst from the beginning of their strange nightly outings.

**He's hurt. **

_Damn, me and my big mouth! I hurt his feelings! He thinks I don't want him around!_

**Wait... he's actually hurt too.**

Sakura started, at first she hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary with the hyperactive blond, but now that he was standing still, right in front of her, her medical instincts were telling her that something was wrong.

"Naruto..." she looked him over, searching for anything out of place. Her eyes fell to his left side, and she caught her breath. Blood was beginning to soak into his jacket from some unknown injury, over previously shed blood that had already stained the orange cloth, but it seemed like he hadn't noticed it yet.

**Or he's still trying to hide it.**

_Idiot._

She walked around in front of him, intending to interrogate him about his injuries; but she stopped when she caught sight of his eyes. He still looked at her with affection, but she could almost hear the negative thoughts that were swirling in his head, preying on his fragile self-esteem and his insecurities.

He tried to smile at her, "Sorry Sakura-chan, I thought--"

She held up a hand to silence him and his eyes darkened. She sighed and grabbed his hands that hung limply at his sides. "Geeze Naruto."

He looked at her, confused as she pulled him back towards her house, "Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?"

He jumped, "How?"

She turned to smile at the blond, who was allowing himself to be led like a child, "It's my job, idiot."

In seconds they were back at her house; she opened the door and pulled him in after her, "Go sit on the couch and take off your shirt okay? I'll be right back."

She let go of his hand and he did as she asked. Sakura ran up to her room and grabbed her medical bag then returned to her living room.

As she turned the corner to re-enter the room she heard a pained grunt from the couch's occupant, "Naruto?" she rushed into the room to see him carefully trying to remove his shirt without jarring his injury. "Hold on! Let me help you."

He paused and looked at her with one visible eye, "I'm okay. I just—ack!"

She walked over to him and pushed his hands aside; expertly removing his shirt without hurting him. He looked up at her with surprise, "How the heck did you do that?"

She smiled and motioned for him to move over, "Just practice I guess." She sat by his side, twisting her body so she was facing him. She pushed on his shoulder so he was leaning back into the cushions, as she examined the wound. It was wrapped loosely in bandages, but they were skewed and soaked through with blood in places.

She frowned and raised an eyebrow at the blond, "Naruto, did you bandage this yourself?"

Naruto laughed sheepishly, "Yeah sorry, Neji did a better job, but by the time I got home they were all covered in blood and I had to take a shower so..."

She sighed heavily, "I know you hate hospitals, but you should have come to see me."

He grimaced, "Well I figured you were busy so I..."

She focused her chakra and began healing the wound, "That's not an excuse! You could have gone to Tsunade-sama, or Shizune-san, or Ino! We always have time to take care of our boys."

Naruto blushed, "your..."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Why do you think Ino and I trained to be medic-nin in the first place?" he just stared at her so she continued, "You always protect me, and her team always protects her! We train everyday to be better medics so we can take care of you boys the way you take care of us!"

Naruto just stared at her as she began to re-bandage the half healed wound,"Well, I'll tell Tsunade-sama that you should take the day off tomorrow to rest, but you'll be just fine."

Naruto's eyes fell to the floor, "Thanks Sakura-chan." he grabbed his clothes off the couch and stood, "I appreciate it. I'll take off now; Goodnight Sakura-chan."

Sakura stood and grabbed his hand, "Naruto wait." he turned back to her, but did not meet her gaze, "About what I asked you earlier." he stiffened, "I think you took it the wrong way."

He finally looked up at her, "I...Huh?"

She smiled and put a hand on his cheek, "I like spending time with you. I--I'm not sure what it is that we're doing, but, I don't want to stop either." she patted him on the head, "Besides, I'd be really lonely if you didn't spend time with me."

Naruto backed away from her and pulled his shirt on, "Actually..." he looked into her sea foam green eyes, "At first I just wanted to take care of you; to make sure that you were happy, y'know, even without--..., but...after a while, I started feeling selfish..."

**Selfish? Him?**

_Yeah, right!_

She shot him a confused look and he blushed, "What are you talking about?"

He put his over-sized orange jacket on once more, leaving it unzipped and stuffing his hands into his pockets, "I wanted to take care of you, but after a couple of weeks I realized that..."his blush deepened, and he sighed before continuing, "I'm lonely without you."

He reached up with one hand and fidgeted with his hair, "It's just, going home after being with everyone all day..." he smiled sadly at her, "being at home--just feels sort of, empty y'know?"

She stared at him, tears forming in her eyes, "Naruto...you were lonely?"

**I never thought of that...**

_I must seem so self-absorbed..._

He grinned at her, "Don't worry Sakura-chan. It's not a big deal, I've always lived alone so it doesn't bother me." he laughed, "I think spending so much time out with everyone kinda messed with my routine. Even when I was traveling with Ero-sennin I spent a lot more time alone than I do these days."

He jumped when she suddenly threw herself at him, hugging him around his shoulders and pulling him down against her chest. Tears rolled down her cheeks and dripped onto his face as she held him, running her fingers through his unruly hair, "Uh, Sakura-chan? What...?"

She squeezed him tighter, "Naruto! If you're lonely just say so! You're my friend. My Best Friend! You can always come to me, you don't have to feel selfish!" she stopped stroking his hair and tilted his chin up so he was looking at her, "There's nothing selfish about wanting to be with the people who love you." she smiled at him.

Very slowly she felt him relax into the embrace; he lowered his head onto her shoulder and awkwardly hugged her around her waist. She frowned when she realized that he was in an uncomfortable position, which was adding to the fact that he was not accustomed to being embraced.

She pulled away from him and took him by the wrists; he watched her in confusion as she positioned his arms around her shoulders, then she tucked her arms between his body and her own, holding a fist full of his jacket in both hands. She sighed as she laid her head against his chest.

She closed her eyes, letting the last of her tears fall, but she could feel him staring at her. After a long moment he lowered his head so it was resting on top of hers; she smiled when he pulled her closer and sighed in contentment.

"Thank you Sakura-chan."

The two ninja stood together for several minutes, comfortable in one another's arms; until the silence was broken by the sound of Naruto's stomach growling.

Sakura looked up at her teammate, who smiled sheepishly down at her, "Ahaha... Sorry, I uh, haven't eaten since breakfast so-"

Sakura stared at him for a moment before sinking back on to the couch giggling behind her hand, "Oh Naruto! Only you could make such a serious, heart felt conversation into something funny so easily!"

Naruto sat next to her and laughed, "You think so huh?" he leaned in closer to her, "You know."

She looked up to see him watching her with playfully predatory eyes, "A lady once told me that girls like a guy who can make them laugh..."

Sakura sent a mischievous wink in his direction, "Depends on why we're laughing."

She stood and he followed suit, "Lets go Naruto, I'm hungry too."

He led the way to the door and opened it for her, "Sounds good to me."

They stepped out into the fading light of the sunset; laughing and talking about nothing in particular. Sakura looked over at him, walking by her side with his hands in his pockets. On an impulse Sakura reached over and wrapped her arms around one of his, pressing herself against his side. She felt him looking down at her as she relished the feeling of his warm body so close to her own.

"You know, you're beautiful Sakura-chan."

She smiled up at him, "Naruto, you always say that."

An:Ahhhhh sooo fluffy. I didn't really mean for it to be, but it made me say "awwwww" while I was re-reading it so I didn't have the heart to change it. I hope it was interesting.


	2. Twisting in the Wind

AN: For those of you who were waiting for the next chapter I would like to apologize for taking so long. I've been really busy lately, but I'm hoping to get some serious work done this weekend. Thanks for bearing with me everyone! See if you can see the biggest difference between Sakura's argument and Naruto's. Heehee should we be worried that they're talking to themselves?

Naruto removed his jacket and tossed it onto his faded couch, "Man I'm beat."

He kicked off his sandals and walked down the narrow hall of his apartment towards the bathroom.

He sighed as he closed the door behind him, "That was some mission though." he pulled his shirt off and poked gingerly at the bandages wrapped tightly around his torso, "I wonder how bad this is?"

Naruto finished stripping, carefully pulling off the blood-stained bandages, "Hmmm, maybe I should have asked Fuzzy-eyebrows to hang around to re-bandage this."

**You could ask Sakura-chan.**

Naruto frowned, "I really don't want to worry her though."

**She'll be angry if you don't tell her. **

Naruto snorted, "Not if she doesn't notice."

**Of course she'll notice. **

Naruto grimaced and turned to the shower, "She only gets angry because she cares."

**You're her teammate, she has to care.**

He turned the shower on and stepped in, he shivered despite the warm water on his skin, "It's not like that anymore."

**Really? She never bothered with you while he was around.**

"It's not about him!"

**It's always about him.**

Naruto braced his hands against the wall of the shower, letting the water run down his neck and along his back, "No, she's not like that..."

**She's always preferred him.**

Naruto shut his eyes tightly, trying to block out the echo of his thoughts, "We're not the same as we were then..."

**Right. She's gotten stronger.**

Naruto's eyes went wide, "What does...?"

**She can protect herself.**

"I'll fight by her side."

**She's never stopped learning.**

"She's working to take care of everyone."

**She's been fighting alone.**

Naruto leaned forward to rest his head on the shower wall, trying to drown the negative voice in his head, "I'm here for her now."

**She's the one who always picks up the pieces when you go too far.**

He stared at the water that was flowing down the drain, tinged with red, "She chose to, she never had to before."

**Because he did it, in his own way.**

He squeezed his eyes shut, letting the water pool in the corners of his eyes and cling to his eyelashes like unshed tears, "Because she's my friend, she cares about me..."

**...does she?**

He froze, his hands clenched into fists.

**How many times has she put you down?**

He sighed, "That was a long time ago."

**She never treated Sasuke that way.**

He straightened up and reached for a bar of soap, "I don't know how she feels about Sasuke any more. Hell I don't know how I feel about him anymore."

**Does it matter? She wants him back.**

He washed the half dried blood off of his chest and belly, being careful of his wound, then tossed the soap over the shower curtain and into the sink, "I want Sasuke to come home too."

**...do you?**

Naruto frowned as he rinsed the left over suds from his body, "Yes, I do"

**She wouldn't be spending time with you if he was here. **

Naruto turned the water off and fought the urge to punch the wall, "Yes she would! We're not like we were before! We've grown up."

**She knows you're coming.**

He stepped out of the shower and grabbed his towel, dabbing carefully at his wound, "I have to hurry if I'm going to be on time."

**You're on time every night.**

He reached under the sink and pulled out his first aid kit then set it on the counter. He quickly dried the rest of his body, then began sorting through his medical supplies.

**You let your guard down around her.**

Naruto hastily wound the bandages around his torso, "I can be myself with her."

**You'd be lonely without her.**

Naruto smiled softly as he thought of his teammate, "Yeah, I would."

He walked across the hall to his bedroom and opened his closet, scanning it for clean clothes. He rolled his eyes, "Crap, I haven't bought any clothes since I got home. I don't fit this stuff anymore."

He went back to his bathroom and grudgingly scrambled back into his orange jumpsuit, "This'll have to do."

Naruto half jogged back to the front door, stepping into his sandals with practiced ease, as he passed the kitchen he grabbed his keys and his wallet off of the counter and shoved them into his pocket.

He ran out the door, pausing only to lock it behind him, then he sprang to the rooftops and sped off towards Sakura's home.

Five minutes later he landed on the roof of the building across from Sakura's window; he smiled, "Sakura-chan..."

Naruto jumped easily off the roof and into the tree beside her window, he took a deep breath, then knocked gently on the glass.

He saw her silhouette turn towards the window; he smiled happily and waved at her when she smiled at him through the glass. She pushed the curtains aside and opened the window.

He grinned, already knowing what he was going to say; hoping her answer would be the same as the nights before.

So far, it was the same every night.

_She seems to be having fun._

**For now.**

"Hi Naruto, come on in."

**Seems she isn't sick of you yet.**

He swung himself out of the tree and onto her windowsill as she backed into the room, "Hi Sakura-chan! How was your day?"

She turned away from him, not realizing that he could see her smiling in her mirror as she went back to brushing her hair, "Busy as usual, but nothing too exciting. What did you do today?"

Naruto grinned, pleased that she was interested in his day, "I had a mission with Neji this morning, then training with Fuzzy-eyebrows and his sensei."

She turned to look at him over her shoulder, "Not with Kakashi-sensei?"

He shrugged, "He's still on a solo mission. So Guy-sensei invited me to train with them."

She smiled and turned back to her mirror, "That sounds nice. The three of you get along so well."

**Their combined energy is exhausting though.**

_Tell me about it._

She re-tied her hitai-ate on the top of her now smooth tresses; then she picked up the silver bracelet that sat on top of her dresser. Sakura turned and walked back to her window, where he was still seated.

Naruto smiled softly as she handed him the jewelry; without a word he took it from her. She held her arm out to him and he carefully fastened it around her slender wrist. Sakura smiled at him, sending a shiver of pleasure running down his spine.

"Thanks Naruto."

He grinned, "Hey, hey Sakura-chan!! Go on a date with me!"

She turned away, sticking her nose in the air; pretending to take offense.

**She does that every time.**

"Come on Sakura-chan! Please?" he pouted, his voice taking on a pleading edge, but he knew it wouldn't fool her, they had played this game many times before.

She shifted her weight to one hip, and pretended to be thinking about it.

**I wonder if she'll keep leading you on.**

Sakura turned back to him, smiling, "Sure Naruto."

He grinned, ignoring his negative inner voice, "Yes! Awesome! Lets go Sakura-chan!"

She laughed at his excitement, "Where do you plan to take me?"

He paused, taking a moment to think, "I know! How about that tea and dango place that Shikamaru showed me? They have good onigiri too!"

**Trying to surprise her this time huh?**

Sakura tilted her head at him, "No ramen?"

Naruto blinked at her, surprised by her reaction, "I thought you might be sick of it by now," he shrugged, "I'll take you wherever you want."

**Not the reaction you expected.**

She put her hand on his shoulder, and he relished her touch, "No dango sounds great."

**You were right about one thing: she is tired of ramen.**

_If only I could be so sure of how she feels about other things..._

Naruto pushed his confusion aside and grinned at her, "Alright! You'll like it, it's a really nice place!"

She nodded at him, so he leaned back out her window, letting gravity pull him back towards the tree. At the last moment he caught a branch and used his momentum to swing to the ground.

He looked up to see her closing the curtains, so he closed his eyes and leaned against the tree to wait for her.

Less than a minute later he sensed her walking around the corner of her home. He was puzzled when she stopped several feet away from him; Naruto waited for a moment, then opened his eyes and turned to see what had stopped her in her tracks. His eyes went wide as he looked at her.

Sakura was standing perfectly still in the golden hued light of the late afternoon. Her hands were at her sides, and a light breeze caused her skirt to flutter attractively around her knees. He looked lovingly at her, mesmerized by her emerald eyes that caught and held the fire of the sun setting behind him.

**Enjoy her while you can.**

_...shut up._

Naruto pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind and smiled at her, "Ready?"

She blinked at him, as though awakening from a genjutsu, "Ah—yeah." his heart fluttered as she smiled at him.

He turned and began to walk towards one of Konoha's main streets; she easily fell into step by his side. Naruto turned slightly to smile down at her, "You look beautiful tonight Sakura-chan."

She laughed and punched his arm playfully, "You say that every time you see me!"

He had to fight the urge to wince, so he laughed and rubbed the back of his head instead, "That's because you're always beautiful!"

Naruto felt his face getting warm, and he hoped he wasn't blushing.

**_That_ was creative.**

_Oh give it a rest!_

**She always answers you the same way.**

He turned to her when she looked away, frowning, "Naruto," he looked down at her face, shadowed by her bangs, "Why do you come ask me out every night?" he looked down into her shining green eyes, "You come even when you're exhausted. Is it because you're worried about me being lonely?"

Naruto stared at her, his mind screaming at him to say something, but he couldn't think of anything to say. He forced himself to smile, but he felt numb and he was certain that it wouldn't fool her, so he turned away, "Do...do you want me to not come any more?"

He bit his lip, trying to gather enough strength to pretend everything was alright; wanting desperately to fool her like he had so often before. His cold and bitter inner self began raking up old memories, long buried in the back of his mind; reminding him vividly of all the times when his hopes for happiness had been shattered.

**I told you so.**

_Damn it, I'm such a fool. I'm pushing her away. I just thought, maybe, she'd be different._

**Ha! What did you expect? She knows all about you, if she doesn't care about you who could?**

She was silent behind him, and he felt his chest tighten with the all-too-familiar pain of loneliness and rejection. He clutched at the fabric of his shirt as though he could hold himself together by force; fearing the silence of his teammate.

He couldn't bring himself to look up at her as she walked around to look at his face, "Naruto..." she trailed off, and he stared at the dirt beneath their feet, waiting for her to send him away. He knew from experience that he would do whatever she asked of him: no matter how much it hurt.

**You should be used to this by now. **

_I'm an idiot._

Naruto shut his eyes again as his mind swirled with dark thoughts, slowly smothering him as his fears and memories clamored through his brain. As she stood there, he couldn't help but look up at her, still hoping that the sight of her would still the chaos in his heart.

He tried to smile at her, "Sorry Sakura-chan, I thought--"

She held up her hand to silence him and he bit off the rest of his sentence. Naruto jumped when she grabbed his hands in both of hers, "Geeze Naruto."

He stared at her confusion, but she released one of his hands and walked back towards her house, pulling him along behind her. She shook her head, "Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?"

Nauto jumped, "How?"

Sakura turned to smile at him, and he felt his heart flutter, "It's my job idiot."

An instant later they were at her front door, she quickly opened it and towed him inside behind her, "Go sit on the couch and take off your shirt okay? I'll be right back."

Sakura released his hand, so he walked over to the couch and sat down; he turned to watch her run up the stairs, then removed his jacket and set it on the couch beside him.

He winced as he tried to pull his shirt up over his head, "Ah, damn." he grunted and tugged harder on his shirt, angling his body to make it easier.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sakura run into the room, "Naruto?" she was carrying her medical bag and she rushed to his side, dropping it on the floor beside the couch, "Hold on! Let me help you."

He stopped, watching her through one eye, "I'm okay. I just—ack!"

She walked closer to him and pushed his hands aside; taking hold of his shirt, and expertly removing it without jarring his injury. He looked at her with surprise, "How the heck did you do that?"

Sakura smiled at him, gesturing for him to scoot over, "Just practice I guess." she sat down, turning her body to face him. Naruto sat quietly, watching her as she moved; she pushed on his shoulder and he obediently leaned back against the cushions.

She looked at him disdainfully, raising an eyebrow at his shoddy attempt to patch his wound, "Naruto, did you bandage this yourself?"

Naruto laughed sheepishly, trying to appear light-hearted, "Yeah sorry, Neji did a better job, but by the time I got home they were all covered in blood and I had to take a shower so..."

She sighed heavily, "I know you hate hospitals, but you should have come to see me."

Naruto grimaced, "Well I figured you were busy so I..."

He felt warmth spreading throughout his body as she focused her chakra and pressed her hands to his side, "That's not an excuse! You could have gone to Tsunade-sama, or Shizune-san, or Ino! We always have time to take care of our boys."

Naruto felt himself beginning to blush, "your..."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Why do you think Ino and I trained to be medic-nin in the first place?" he stared at her, not knowing what he should say, "You always protect me, and her team always protects her! We train everyday to be better medics so we can take care of you boys the way you take care of us!"

Naruto continued to stare at her as she expertly re-bandaged his wounds. His mind swirled in confusion, trying to figure out how she felt about him.

After a few moments the sound of her voice broke into his musings, "Well, I'll tell Tsunade-sama that you should take the day off tomorrow to rest, but you'll be fine."

He let his gaze fall to the floor, unable to look at her as he spoke, "Thanks Sakura-chan." he reached for his clothes and stood, "I appreciate it. I'll take off now; Goodnight Sakura-chan."

Naruto had intended to turn and walk away, hoping to save some of the little self-respect he had left, but she jumped up and grabbed him by the hand, "Naruto wait." He turned back to her, unable to ignore her request, but not willing to look at her, "About what I asked you earlier." He stiffened, carefully masking his emotions, "I think you took it the wrong way."

His head snapped up reflexively, "I...Huh?"

Sakura smiled and cupped his cheek in her hand, "I like spending time with you. I-- I'm not sure what it is we're doing, but, I don't want it to stop either." she caressed his cheek as she pulled her hand away, then patted him on the head, "Besides, I'd be really lonely if you didn't spend time with me."

Naruto backed away from her and pulled his shirt on, "Actually..." he looked into her sea foam green eyes, "At first I just wanted to take care of you; to make sure that you were happy, y'know, even without--..., but...after a while, I started to feel selfish..."

**You're pathetic.**

_Yeah, I know._

He blushed as she watched him with confusion, "What are you talking about?"

Naruto pulled on his favorite orange jacket, not bothering to zip it up. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, "I wanted to take care of you, but after a couple of weeks I realized that..." his blush deepened, and he sighed, "I'm lonely without you."

He reached with up one hand and fidgeted with his hair, "It's just, going home after being with everyone all day..." he smiled at her, hoping she wouldn't see past it, "being at home—just feels sort of, empty y'know?"

Naruto wanted to kick himself when he saw the tears forming in her eyes, "Naruto...you were lonely?"

**You made her cry again.**

_Hmph, at least I'm not as bad as Sasuke._

He forced himself to smile at her, "Don't worry Sakura-chan. It's not a big deal, I've always lived alone so it doesn't bother me." he laughed, "I think spending so much time out with everyone kinda messed with my routine. Even when I was traveling with Ero-sennin I spent a lot more time alone than I do these days."

Naruto jumped when she suddenly threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him down so she could hug him tightly to her chest. He blinked when he felt something drip onto his face and he looked up to see her crying and running her hand through his still-damp hair, "Uh, Sakura-chan? What...?"

He was cut off when she hugged him tighter, "Naruto! If you're lonely just say so! You're my friend. My best friend! You can always come to me, you don't have to feel selfish!" she disentangled her hand from his hair and tilted his chin up so he would look into her eyes, "There is nothing selfish about wanting to be with people who love you."

Her words echoed in his head, calming the chaos in his mind and soothing his fears. Very slowly, afraid to ruin his mental reprieve, he lowered his head onto her shoulder and awkwardly slid his arms around her waist.

He was confused when she pulled away from him and took him by the wrists. He blinked, uncomprehending as she hooked his arms around her shoulders, then tucked herself against his chest, clutching at his jacket. She sighed and laid her head against his chest.

Naruto watched her carefully as she closed her eyes, letting the last of her tears fall to soak into his shirt. He soon realized that she had no intentions of letting him go anytime soon, so he gently rested his head on hers, he closed his eyes, breathing in the lightly floral scent of the girl he loved most in the world. He tightened his hold on her, pulling her close against his chest, and he smiled when she sighed in contentment.

"Thank you Sakura-chan."

The two ninja stood together for several minutes, comfortable in one another's arms; until the silence was broken by the sound of Naruto's stomach growling.

Sakura looked up at the blond, and he smiled sheepishly at her, "Ahaha... Sorry, I uh, haven't eaten since breakfast so-"

She stared at him for a moment, then flopped back onto the couch, trying to control her giggling, "Oh Naruto! Only you could make such a serious, heart felt conversation into something funny so easily!"

He sat next to her and laughed, "You think so huh?" he leaned closer to her, missing the feeling of her warm body against his, "You know," she looked up into his eyes and he shot her a mischievous look, "A lady once told me that girls like a guy who can make them laugh..."

She smiled playfully and winked at him, "Depends on why we're laughing."

Sakura stood and he followed suit, "Let's go Naruto, I'm hungry too."

Naruto turned and led the way to the door, politely opening it for her, "Sounds good to me."

They stepped out into the fading light of the sunset; laughing and talking about nothing in particular. Naruto buried his hands in his pockets, enjoying the feeling of his loved one walking by his side. He shuddered as she wrapped her arms around one of his and pressed her body close against his side.

He closed his eyes for a moment, relishing the unaccustomed closeness; then he looked down at her affectionately.

"You know, you're beautiful Sakura-chan."

She smiled up at him, "Naruto, you always say that."

AN: I've been re-watching a lot of Shippuuden and it amazes me how little real confidence Naruto has. He always acts tough, but it's all superficial, inside he always seems to be doubting himself. Sakura on the other hand acts like she's unsure of herself, and insists that she's the weakest part of the team, but inside she is always pushing herself harder, and cheering herself on. I think it's an interesting dynamic and I've tried to reflect the idea in both chapters of this fic. Wow taking a bunch of psyc classes makes analyzing my favorite characters so much more fun! Of course I could just be imagining things!


	3. Waiting for You

AN: Oh my goodness! I've finally gotten around to finishing one of my chapter fics! I think I've learned a valuable lesson here, having more than one in-progress fic at a time it troublesome. I always felt that one or other of them was being neglected. Well, I can only hope that this was worth the wait. Thanks for reading everyone.

Sakura leaned her head against Naruto's shoulder as he steered her around a corner and into Konoha's shopping district.

Aside from the numerous stores and vendors that lined the street there were also a number of cafes and restaurants where weary shoppers could take a break.

His voice drifted down to her and she smiled; it still impressed her how much his voice had changed, no longer did he shout with the high-pitched voice of a twelve-year-old.

Naruto's voice was deep and smooth, and from her place pressed against his side, it reverberated through her frame, sending tingles down her spine.

"It's just at the end of the street Sakura-chan."

She nodded, "We don't need to hurry."

He chuckled, sending a thrill through her nerves, "Right, no hurrying here."

The evening was cool and the electric lights were sputtering to life in the gathering darkness; this time of the evening the shops were still open for business, and the area was busy with civilians and ninjas alike.

They fell into a comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts. The pink-haired kunoichi looked up at the darkening sky, content to let Naruto lead her.

Sakura paid little attention to the other people around them until she felt Naruto sigh heavily; he shifted at her side, shoving his free hand in his pocket.

She looked up at him, surprised by his sudden change in demeanor. His shoulders drooped for a moment then he took a deep breath and straightened up.

He stared straight ahead as they walked, his blue eyes shining with some emotion that she couldn't quite place.

She stared at him for a moment, confused when he refused to look at her, _He has to have felt me staring at him. What's the matter with him?_

She turned away from him, still holding his arm, and carefully examined their surroundings.

At first she saw nothing out of the ordinary; she searched the area for anything unusual and scanned the rooftops for any potential enemies, more out of habit than any real concerns for their safety.

Naruto twitched and her head snapped around to look at his face. She watched as his eyes flickered involuntarily to his left, before he set his jaw and forced his gaze forward once more.

Sakura's brows furrowed in confusion, but she followed the direction he had been looking, determined to find the source of the blond's discomfort.

It dawned on her slowly and she bit her lip; several of the villagers had crowded together to stare at Naruto and herself, gossiping to each other in hushed tones.

Sakura clenched her jaw and she felt her anger rising as she looked around. Her eyes hardened and she fought the urge to punch something; instead she tightened her hold on Naruto's arm and one of her hands slid down to his and caught his fingers in hers.

She felt him relax slightly and he looked down at her, "Sakura-chan..."

Sakura smiled up at him, "It's nice out tonight isn't in Naruto?"

He blinked down at her, then smiled, "Yeah it is Sakura-chan."

She leaned her head against his shoulder once more and he squeezed her hand, "Hey Naruto..." she bit her lip, "You know, maybe we should go to Ichiraku's after all."

Naruto shook his head, "No, that's okay Sakura-chan." he grinned, "I promised you something other than ramen, and I always keep my promises."

She laughed, "That's right. Forget I mentioned it."

Naruto steered her towards a restaurant with several customers eating out front and soft light streaming out through the open front door.

They walked inside and a waitress smiled at them as she approached, but before she could say anything they were greeted by a chorus of shouts from the back of the room.

The waitress scowled in irritation at the rowdy group but Sakura and Naruto smiled at their friends, who were enthusiastically waving them over.

Naruto grinned, all traces of his discomfort forgotten, "Do you want to join them Sakura-chan?"

She pulled away to look at his face, then shrugged, "They've already seen us, we can't leave without at least saying hi." she pulled on him, leading him towards the table, "Besides, I'm still hungry.'

Naruto trailed along behind her, "Good point."

Ino jumped up and put her hand on Sakura's shoulder, "Hey Sakura, glad you decided to join us." she leaned around the other kunoichi and smiled, "Hey Naruto, how'd your mission go?"

Naruto leaned around Sakura's shoulder and gave her a thumbs-up, "Excellent. A complete success."

The other blond smiled, "Glad to hear it." she looked back at Sakura with her eyebrows raised, "You two came here together to get dinner didn't you?"

Sakura smiled warily, "Yes, we did. What of it Ino?"

The taller girl grinned mischievously, "Oh nothing. I was just thinking that the two of you have been spending a lot of time together lately. Well, even more than usual anyway, and I was wondering if there was something going on that I didn't know about..."

She leaned in close to Sakura as she spoke, and Sakura smiled right back at her, without blinking, "Yes, Naruto and I enjoy spending time together, but I thought you already knew that Ino."

Naruto sputtered incoherently from behind Sakura and looked pleadingly at Ino's teammates. Shikamaru sighed and nodded to the blond, "Ino will you sit down already? I'd like to enjoy my meal in peace."

Chouji grinned and shoved some rice into his mouth, not wanting to be put in the middle, but Ino settled for grinning knowingly at the irritated Sakura, then slid back into the booth beside Shikamaru, "Scoot over Shikamaru and make some room, don't make them stand there all night."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, but obeyed, motioning for Chouji to move over as well, the larger boy complied, carefully dragging his dinner plate across the table with him.

Naruto stepped back and offered the seat to Sakura, intending to be a gentleman, but she shook her head and gently pushed him towards the booth.

He shot her a confused look, but she smiled sheepishly at him and gave him a little nudge, "Go ahead Naruto."

Naruto shrugged, then sat down and slid closer to Ino, making room for Sakura. She slid onto the seat beside him, and almost immediately regretted putting him between Ino and herself.

The other kunoichi had slung her arm across his shoulders and was pressed to his side talking to him in a hushed voice and sending pointed looks in Sakura's direction.

Naruto grimaced and Sakura felt her inner self roar to life, filling her with irritation at the sight of her teammate in her rival's arms.

She closed her eyes, trying to control her temper, _She's goading me, she's trying to piss me off._

**It's working isn't it?**

_She's had a lot of practice._

She brewed silently for a moment as Naruto blushed and he tried, unsuccessfully to extract himself from Ino's grasp.

Sakura couldn't hear what her friend, sometimes-rival, was saying, but she saw Shikamaru roll his eyes, and Naruto tried to stutter a reply.

"I-ino-chan, I don't think-"

Sakura clenched her hands on the table causing the wood to crack, "Ino, do you have to hang all over him?" their eyes met and Naruto slouched in his seat as they glared at one another, "If you want some one to hold on to, stick to your own teammates and leave mine alone."

Shikamaru grimaced, "Oh no! Don't bring me into this!"

Chouji nodded enthusiastically and shoved some more food into his mouth, "Right, this has nothing to do with us."

Ino wrinkled her nose at him, "Gross Chouji. How many times do I have to tell you not to talk with your mouth full?"

Chouji swallowed and frowned at her, "Sheesh Ino, you sound like my mom."

The blond rolled her eyes, "Have you ever thought of listening to her?"

Chouji shrugged and muttered something that only Shikamaru seemed able to understand. Ino rolled her eyes then turned back to Naruto and glared defiantly at Sakura, "At least Naruto doesn't chew with his mouth open!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes once more and turned his attention back to his meal, "You guys are so noisy. Shut up so they don't kick us out of here."

Ino waved him off without taking her eyes off of Sakura's captive teammate.

Sakura scooted closer to Naruto and poked him in the ribs; forcing his attention back to her, "What are you ordering Naruto?"

Naruto looked over at her, trying to ignore the kunoichi on his other side, "umm, I haven't really had a chance to look at the menu yet."

The other blond coyly pushed her hardly touched plate in front of him, "That's alright Naruto. You can share with me," her eyes met Sakura's daring her to take the challenge.

Sakura barely contained the growl that was rising in her throat, "Here Naruto," she pushed an open menu into his face, blocking his view of the rest of the table, Ino included, "I was thinking of getting the tuna rice balls and the chicken dango."

Ino pushed them menu down, away from Naruto's face and grinned evilly at the other kunoichi, "Careful Sakura. You wouldn't want to put on any extra pounds."

Sakura glared at Ino and leaned menacingly towards her. Naruto grimaced and sank further down in his seat, clearly not comfortable acting as the girls' newest battle ground, "Sakura-chan, Ino-chan..."

Sakura slammed her hand down on the table causing the dishes to rattle and leaned across Naruto's lap to glare into Ino's ice-blue eyes, "You shouldn't worry about me Ino, but if you need a hand then I can help you work off some of those excess calories that you're smothering Naruto with."

Chouji almost choked on his food as his head snapped up to watch his teammate's reaction; even Shikamaru stopped eating to watch as the two kunoichi smiled nastily at one another with veins pulsing in their foreheads.

The boys watched the scene with raised eyebrows, waiting for the inevitable torrent of anger and insults that always followed the girl's taunting.

Sakura opened her mouth, but she was interrupted when Kiba appeared over the back of the booth and leaned on Naruto's head, crossing his arms over the golden blond hair, "Hey everyone! How's it going?"

Naruto looked up at him through his bangs and sighed in relief at the Inuzuka's timely interruption, "Kiba!"

Akamaru jumped up next to his master, his front paws resting on the back of the seats, and the wood groaned under his weight, "Woof!"

Naruto grinned and reached back to pat the giant dog's head, "I didn't forget about you Akamaru."

Shino walked up behind his boisterous teammate and nodded in greeting, "Hello everyone."

Kiba laughed, "I'm starving, I hope you don't mind if we join you." the dog-ninja pushed himself up then swung his legs over the back of the seat attempting to wedge himself between Naruto and Ino.

Ino was forced to pull away from Naruto to avoid being squished by the overzealous chunnin, "Hey watch it dog-boy!"

Kiba ignored her and heedlessly squeezed himself in; the addition of another person in the already full booth pushed Naruto into Sakura and she yelped as she was pushed to the edge of the seat.

At the last moment Naruto caught her arm and pulled her against his side to keep her from falling onto the hard wooden floors.

She looked up at him and he smiled at her, "Sorry about that Sakura-chan."

Sakura smiled back at him, then looked past both Naruto and Kiba to get a look at her fellow medic nin.

She smirked in satisfaction at the irritated look on Ino's face; the other kunoichi was glaring at Kiba who was chatting away with Chouji in blissful ignorance.

As Shino pulled up a chair from an unoccupied table the waitress appeared with refills for team ten and took the orders of the newcomers then bustled away through the busy dining room.

Unable to continue their bickering across two people, Ino and Sakura settled into conversation with the boys as they ate.

Sakura watched Naruto out of the corner of her eye; he was grinning as he told them all a story from his time traveling with Jiraiya.

She couldn't help but smile as he gestured exuberantly, _It's not often he goes into details about that._

Naruto laughed, "So after the entrance was clear I used a henge to switch the bath signs. The old pervert wasn't even paying attention because he was so focused on finding a good place to spy from. He ran around the side of the baths and found himself looking into a bath filled with a bunch of old guys! The look on his face was so funny!"

The table erupted with laughter, and Ino patted Kiba hard on his back because he had begun to choke on his food.

The blond wiped a stray tear from her eye, "It serves him right!"

Naruto nodded, "It was the perfect payback. That guy didn't know he was messing with the best prankster in Konoha!"

Chouji chuckled as he waved his chopsticks at the shorter ninja, "I'm not sure that's something to be proud of Naruto."

Sakura playfully elbowed her teammate, "It does come in handy when setting up traps though."

Shino pushed his ever-present sunglasses higher up on the bridge of his nose, "Fun and dangerous hm?"

Chouji grinned, "What's the difference?"

They sat chatting amiably as the other patrons trickled out into the chilly night air and they were finally forced to leave when their waitress informed them that the restaurant was closing.

Together they walked along the nearly empty streets of Konoha still enjoying one another's company.

Shino and Kiba were the first to leave the group, both waving over their shoulders as they sprang off in different directions.

Sakura and Naruto were walking side by side as they came to a deserted cross-street and team ten paused to say their good night's before they parted ways.

Shikamaru turned to Naruto, "Well, this is where we get off. I assume that you're going to walk Sakura home?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, don't worry about us."

Sakura blinked at the exchange, "What the heck are you guys talking about? That's a really round about way for you to get home Shikamaru."

Ino pulled her aside and whispered into the other kunoichi's ear, "They insist on walking me home when we're out late. I think it's kind of cute actually." she giggled, "It's funny that we can go into battle with them, but they don't like us walking home alone at night."

Sakura rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but smile at the boy's odd sense of chivalry, "That's guys for you. They make no sense."

Shikamaru called to Ino and the blond walked to his side, "Yeah, yeah, sorry to keep you from your beauty sleep Shikamaru."

She turned and winked at her pink-haired friend, "See you tomorrow Sakura. Have fun you two."

Naruto waved to their friends and began walking again; Sakura followed him without thinking, falling into her usual place at his side.

He turned and smiled down at her, "Well, that was different from our usual routine. Did you have fun Sakura-chan?"

She nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, did you?"

He gave her a thumbs up, "I always have fun with you Sakura-chan."

Naruto shoved his hands into his pockets and smiled to himself as he walked the familiar path towards Sakura's home.

She walked quietly by his side, trying to sort through the strange feelings that he had stirred up in her heart.

He was about to turn the corner onto her street when she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him down a side street towards the park.

Naruto stumbled after her, "What's wrong Sakura-chan?"

She looked back at him and smiled, "I just decided that I didn't want to go home yet. I'd rather go for a walk." she grinned, "You wouldn't leave a lady all alone in the middle of the night would you?"

He laughed, quickening his pace so he was walking by her side, "Of course not." he gestured in the direction that they were heading, "Lead the way."

Sakura clasped her hands behind her back as they strolled along the moonlit path.

She took a deep breath to collect her thoughts then turned to her teammate, "Naruto, do you ever wonder why we search so desperately for Sasuke-kun?"

Naruto's head snapped around and he stared at her, "I—huh?"

She smiled sadly at him, "I mean, we're happy like this aren't we?" she looked into his eyes, her expression pleading with him to say it was true, "We can be happy with just the two of us can't we?"

He blinked at her, hoping he could give her the answer she needed, "We can be happy. We are happy, but he's our teammate. Our friend. You miss him, don't you?"

Sakura sighed, "I do. It just seems like we've spent the last three years chasing his shadow. We're risking our lives looking for him, and I can't help but wonder if Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama are right about letting go of him."

Naruto frowned, "They gave up on Orochimaru and look what happened. He was a danger to them, himself, and Konoha. A lot of people suffered because of him," he looked at his feet as he spoke, "I don't want to see Sasuke end up like that creep."

Sakura shuddered at the thought of their raven-haired teammate following the same path as the snake-sannin, "I know, but, I was just thinking; if you died chasing after him; even if you managed to bring him home in the process, I could never be happy again. What would be the point of you losing your life to bring back someone who doesn't want to be here in the first place?"

He looked back at her, surprised, "You don't think you could be happy? Just you and him?"

She shook her head sadly, "No, not anymore. I'm not the stupid little girl that I used to be." she smiled at him, "I don't think he would be happy with that either."

Naruto ran a hand through his untamed hair and chuckled, "You think so? Sometimes I wonder..."

Sakura stretched her arms above her head, "Yeah, I think so." she paused, considering her words, "As I grew up I looked back on our time together and I realized that the one person who always understood me, the one person I was always able to count on was you."

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "Sakura-chan..." he turned away from her and looked out into the darkness, "We'll find him Sakura-chan."

She stopped and stared at his back; he walked a few more paces before he realized that she had stopped and turned back to face her, "I'll always be here for you Sakura-chan. As long as we stick together and don't give up, we'll be okay."

Sakura beamed at him, "You're right." she reached for his hand and entwined her fingers with his, "I knew I could talk to you. I was beginning to feel like we were just going in circles, but I feel encouraged now."

He grinned at her, "That's the spirit Sakura-chan! We'll get stronger and no one will be able to stand in our way!"

Sakura smiled, "How is it you are always so confident Naruto?"

Naruto chuckled, "Not always Sakura-chan. But what good does it do to give up?"

She smiled up at him, "Yeah, you're right."

They resumed their walk in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Sakura plucked a flower from a bush as she walked past it and idly twirled it in her fingers.

**Now would be the time to tell him. **

_Tell him? _

**How you feel. You know you can talk to him about anything.**

_That's different. I'm not sure _I'm _ready to tell him yet._

**Afraid? You already know how he feels about you.**

She sighed and absently stroked the petals of the flower, _There's just so much going on right now..._

**Exactly. Who knows if he'll still be here tomorrow? **

Sakura shuddered at the thought of losing her closest friend, _No, I'll protect him this time. _

Naruto watched Sakura out of the corner of his eye as she toyed with the flower; she seemed to be deep in thought, but he couldn't even begin to guess what could be weighing so heavily on her mind after their last conversation.

_I should tell her how I feel._

**She already knows, you tell her all the time. **

_I want her to know that there are people who care about her. _

**What good would it do? You already know how she feels about you.**

_I can live with that as long as she knows I would do anything for her._

He sighed and kicked a pebble from his path, _I just don't know how to make her see how _much_ I care._

**You never give up do you?**

Naruto smiled to himself, _Nope._

He looked over at the pink-haired kunoichi, "Sakura-chan?"

Sakura carefully pulled a petal from the flower and let it float to the ground, "Hmm?"

Naruto fidgeted with the zipper on his jacket, "Don't forget that I'm here for you."

She pulled another petal from the flower and turned to look at him, "I know Naruto." she smiled, "Thanks"

He stopped and stared at his feet as he shuffled the dirt, "Sakura-chan. You know I really like you right? I know you don't feel the same way, and that's okay, I'm still gonna keep my promises."

The remains of the flower fluttered to the ground as her hands fell to her sides, "Naruto..." she gazed at him for a moment then took a step forward and wrapped her arms around his torso, "You're so dramatic sometimes."

Naruto was surprised by the sudden movement but he slid his arms around her shoulders and held her tight, as much for his own comfort as hers.

She leaned back against his arms, "As long as we're together there's no way that I could forget how you feel." she grinned, "But you better not forget how I feel either."

Naruto tilted his head in confusion, "How do you feel Sakura-chan?"

She smiled and pulled out of his arms as she turned and began walking further into the park, "Good question."

The blond ninja gaped at her back, "...huh?"

Her soft laughter drifted back to him and he jogged to catch up to her as she turned off the main path and plunged into the foliage, "Sakura-chan! Where are you going?"

She paused to let him catch up to her, he slowed to a walk as he drew closer then looked down at the smiling woman.

Sakura twirled her hair with her finger, "I'm not sure; does it matter?"

He laughed, "I guess not; you're really confusing me tonight Sakura-chan."

She ducked under a branch, "Sorry, I've been a bit confused myself lately." she turned to smile at him, "You know, if we stay out much later we'll be having breakfast together too."

Nauto leaned past her to push a low-hanging limb out of their path, "Did you have something particular in mind?"

She shook her head, "No," she shot him a mischievous grin, "I was just thinking that it would put Ino into overdrive gossip mode. If she finds out that we spent all night together then she'll be dying to know what went on."

Naruto chuckled, "Let me guess, you're gonna make sure she hears about it."

Sakura laughed, "Of course! The only way it would be better is if we went back to your place. That would really push her over the edge."

He blushed, "S-sakura-chan..."

She rolled her eyes at him, "Geez Naruto. It wouldn't be the first time we spent the night together!" she smiled playfully at the blond.

"Saukra-chan! That's different, that was on missions!" he laughed, "Besides, if Tsunade-baa-chan thought I had done something perverted she would kick the crap out of me and Ero-sennin."

She patted him on the shoulder, "Hahaha, I don't think you need to worry about that, she knows I would do it myself first."

Naruto grimaced, "That's scary..."

They jumped over a bush and back out onto the walkway.

Naruto sighed as he looked out at the dock; the moonlight shimmered on the water and an image of Sasuke, hugging his knee as he sat all alone on the edge of the dock flooded his mind.

He closed his eyes, letting the memories wash over him as guilt tugged at his heart, _I should have said something then. Then neither of us would have had to be alone._

**Like he would have accepted that. Proud bastard.**

_Heh, yeah. But I still should have tried._

He opened his eyes and looked over at his teammate; her sea-foam eyes were filled with guilt as she stared at the faded wood of the dock, and tears at the corners of her eyes sparkled in the moonlight.

Naruto sighed once more and put his arm around her shoulders, "I'm sorry Sakura-chan."

She wiped the tears from her eyes as she looked up at him, "For what?"

He smiled sadly at her, "For making you wait. I'll keep my promise for sure. Please, just believe in me"

Sakura smiled, "I know, you never have to apologize for that, I do believe in you." she patted his arm, "Besides, this time I'm helping too, I'll be by your side."

She turned her body towards his and he curled his arm around her as she leaned up against him.

He watched in confusion as her hand slid up his other arm and to his neck; her heart was pounding in her ears as she lifted her heels off the ground slightly and pulled his face close to hers.

Naruto blushed at how close she was, "Uh, Sakura-chan--"

He froze as she closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his. His eyes widened in shock then he forced himself to relax in her arms and he leaned closer, gently pressing his lips tighter against hers.

After a short moment she pulled back and looked up at him, her eyes shining with affection, "Naruto..." she smiled at him, "I'm still confused...I-I'm not sure what I'm feeling, but," she hugged him, "Can you keep waiting for me while I figure it out?"

He grinned down at her, his face still flushed with pleasure, "You know I will."

Ino flicked her hair back over her shoulder as she poured water into the vase of roses that stood by the counter.

The bell over the door jingled and she looked up to see an excited Tenten rushing towards her, "Oh, hey, good morning. What's going on Tenten?"

The older kunoichi put her hands on her shoulders shaking the blond in her excitement, "Ino! You're not going to believe it! When I saw I just had to run over here right away to tell you!"

Ino blinked at her, "What happened?"

Tenten took a deep breath, "I just saw Sakura and Naruto leaving his apartment together!"

Ino rolled her eyes, "So? They're teammates, they're at each other's places all the time."

Tenten grinned, "True, but I head Sakura say, 'Thanks for letting me spend the night Naruto. I had fun.'"

Ino gasped, "No way!" she clapped her hands together, "I knew it! I knew there was something going on! Did they say anything else?"

Tenten shrugged in resignation, "I thought that was pretty juicy on its own. But, no they didn't say anything else, they started talking about where to go for breakfast."

Ino sighed, "Oh man, I need to know what happened! I wonder if I would have an easier time getting it out of Naruto or forehead girl..." she trailed off, plotting her approach.

Tenten waved to her as she walked towards the door, "Well, I have to get to a mission I just thought you would want to know."

Ino waved half-heartedly at the other girl, still lost in thought, "Yeah, later."

Tenten walked out of the shop and turned around a corner where Naruto and Sakura were doubled over with laughter.

She smiled down at them, "How was that?"

Sakura looked up at the other girl, tears streaming from her eyes as she struggled to breathe through her laughter, "T-that was perfect!"

Tenten held out her hand, "My payment?"

Naruto reached into his back pocket and tossed her a small package, "Haha, there you go, a brand new set of kunai." he wiped a tear from his eye, "Thanks Tenten, you were awesome!"

Tenten laughed as she twirled the package in her hands, "Of course, thanks for the kunai. Let me know if you need anything else, but the fee will be the same."

They watched her walk away, then turned back to each other and collapsed into laughter once more.

Naruto put his arm around Sakura's shoulder, "You're pretty good at this."

She leaned on him, "I know! I should have taken this up years ago."

AN: I love it when Sakura and Ino argue, and I could totally see her messing with Naruto to tick her off. It took me FOREVER to write this. I just wasn't happy with it no matter what I did. I'm pretty satisfied with it now, but I have to say my favorite part is Ino picking on Sakura. It was tough because I had a lot of ideas that I wanted to cover. I hope it was okay everyone. I welcome any feedback. Thanks!


End file.
